


Scales of Red and Blue

by whitehorsetiger



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blood, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, My Flatmate is evil and a bad influence, Pain, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-11-06 20:27:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11043717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitehorsetiger/pseuds/whitehorsetiger
Summary: Keith and Pidge are on the hunt for their brothers, having searched for them for years. A plan gone wrong ends with them trapped on a boat with no help of rescue.Lance and Hunk have been separated from their families, now they roam the ocean. Following a trail of blood leads them into an adventure they weren't expecting.It's not all pain and sadness like the tags suggest.





	1. Trapped Together

"This is the worst idea you have ever had."  
"Pidge, this was your idea."  
"I'm sure it wasn't."  
"No it definitely was."  
"Yeah, but you agreed to it."  
Keith sighed, tugging on the chains around his wrists. They were completely screwed. Pidge was staring intently at the cuffs, like she could find her way out.  
"I don't know why," Keith grumbled, "I hate sailing."  
Pidge glowered at him, kicking idly at his tail.  
"Because flying would be suicide," Pidge grumbled, "Also I can't fly, idiot."  
Keith sighed, grumbling slightly. He was starting to feel slightly queasy, at least being only half dragon meant he wasn't completely catatonic.  
"Can't you do something with the ship?" he asked, tugging against the cuff on his tail.  
Pidge sighed, "Do you know how long this wood has been dead? I've been away too long to be able to work with it."  
Keith grumbled, trying to hook his horns under the chains. A dryad and a half dragon on a boat in the middle of the ocean, caught and chained up until the captain decided what to do with them. Probably throw them overboard.  
"Well, it was nice knowing you," Pidge said, leaning back.  
Keith sighed, "Yeah, it was."  
"There's no one I'd rather die with, of course I'd rather not die but what can you do?" she said.  
Keith snorted slightly, flicking his ears.  
"I could chew my hand off?" Keith said.  
"And do what with the stump? You've not thought this through," Pidge grumbled.  
"I probably couldn't chew through my scales anyway," Keith sighed.

They were there for what seemed like ages, enough that Keith was sure he was going to throw up if he didn't get off this damn rocking boat in the next five seconds.  
"Don't you dare throw up," Pidge grumbled, "I know that look, don't you dare."  
A hatch opened above them and massive fur boots made their way down to them. Keith winced at the smell, he hated minotaurs. The two of them were hauled to their feet, dragged up onto deck. The sound of chattering met their ears, the sound of all different creatures getting excited.  
"So, you thought you could stow away?"   
Keith looked up and snarled, glowering at the captain.  
"Now, that's rude, I am the one who determines your fate after all," he said, a smile on his face.  
"I doubt anything we do now will change your mind," Pidge grumbled.  
"I suppose," Captain Grimm shrugged, "But it's always fun to watch people beg."  
"We won't beg," Keith snarled.  
Captain Grimm sighed, "You're no fun, hold him down."  
Keith suddenly found himself face down on the floor, his arms and legs held down by four people. He snarled, thrashing but the people held him completely still.  
"Oi, let him go!" Pidge yelled angrily.  
"Spread them," Captain Grimm said.  
Keith's wings were gripped and forced open, shiny red scales and ink black skin. Keith looked up, growling.  
"What are you..." Keith's eyes widened and he began to fight harder.  
One of the crew was holding a knife and a saw.  
"I would apologise but we must be sure you won't be able to fly away," Captain Grimm snarled, "They'll look beautiful on my wall."  
Keith thrashed harder, until his torso was gripped and he could no longer move.  
"Get this over with," Captain Grimm said, "I want them off my ship."

Keith had cut himself a few times before, this time it was intentional though deep and brutal. Pain jolted through his entire body, his stomach gave up the fight. Acid crawling up his throat and onto the deck. Blood was sliding down his back and arms, the sick sound of muscles being sliced then something grating against bone. His throat was sore, from acid and screaming. He couldn't think, maybe he was saying something, he couldn't be too sure. Keith's vision was starting to blur around the edges, tears flowing freely from them, pain clouding his consciousness. He dry heaved again, body shaking. A sick snapping sound, Keith shuddered and was unceremoniously dropped in a mixture of his blood and vomit.  
"Keith! Keith!" he could just about make out Pidge yelling for him, "Damn it!"  
"Get them off my ship."  
"Ey sir."  
His vision shifted and tilted, going black for a second as he was hauled to his feet. He didn't know what was happening, but he could see his wings laying on the deck. They were gone.

"I need to stop the bleeding, hang on Keith," Pidge said.  
Keith wasn't sure what had happened, his memory was fuzzy at best. All he could feel was the sway of a boat and feel wood beneath his body.  
"I'm so sorry, but this is going to hurt like hell," she said.  
Keith wasn't really sure how it could hurt more, but that was answered when pain jolted through him again, stinging and burning.  
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Pidge whispered, "I'm going to borrow your shirt."  
The sound of tearing fabric and another jolt of pain as pressure was put on the wounds.  
"You're going to be ok, you're going to be ok," Pidge muttered, "Just, hang on Keith."

Keith wasn't sure how long he was out of it for, but he eventually jerked back to awareness.  
"Oh thank you, I did not think you were going to make it," Pidge said, "Although we're not in the best situation."  
Keith tried to sit up, but the pain caused him to collapse back down.  
"What happened?" he asked rubbing his eyes.  
"We're going to die," she replied, "They've abandoned us on a rowboat with no supplies or even oars."  
"Charming," Keith grumbled, winching as another jolt of pain coursed through his body.  
"Yup," Pidge nodded, "You've been out for a couple of days but I managed to clean you up as best I could and the bleeding's stopped."  
Keith nodded, his wings were gone, they were really gone. No more flying, they were just gone, a huge part of his life, gone. His eyes misted over and a few tears slipped out, throwing an arm over his eyes Keith hiccupped.  
"Anything around?" he asked, voice surprisingly steady.  
"Nope, we are in the middle of the ocean," Pidge shrugged, "There's literally nothing around."  
"Oh joy," Keith grumbled, "Throw ourselves off the boat?"  
"No way," Pidge shook her head, "I'd rather starve than drown."  
"Alright then," Keith sighed, "So we just wait?"  
"We don't have much of a choice," Pidge shrugged, "Stowing away was a terrible idea."

Keith watched the stars that night, pain preventing him from sleeping. He didn't recognise any of the constellations, they were too far away from home. Him and Pidge had set off on this journey to find their missing brothers, but now it looked like they'd die before completing their mission. It was over, it was all over. The boat rocked and Keith groaned, his seasickness back in full force. A shadow blocked out the stars and Keith bolted upright, black spots dancing in his vision and pain tearing through his shoulders. That didn't matter though, there shining in the moonlight was a person. He was propping himself up from the water on the boat, they locked eyes for a second. A loud barking sound broke the tension and as suddenly as he was there, the person vanished.


	2. Under the Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk and Lance discover something interesting.

"I promise Hunk, it'll be ok," Lance said, flicking his tail to idly to circle his friend.  
Hunk shot him a look, as well as he could in seal form.  
"Come on! It'll be fine," Lance shrugged with a grin.  
Hunk stared at him but followed as Lance began to swim away.  
"Yay, now apparently it was over by sharktooth rock earlier heading along the cold current way," Lance said, rotating his body to face forward, "They shouldn't have gone far."  
The two friends cut through the water with ease, Hunk glancing around nervously. As the water steadily became colder, Lance felt a tug on his tail fin. Flipping over, he glowered at Hunk.  
"It's not far come on!"  
Hunk shook his head.  
"We're not going to be getting much closer I promise."  
Hunk stared at him, Lance sighed and shifted to look at him directly.  
"Look, I know we're closer then you really want to be, but come on Hunk."  
Hunk grabbed Lance's hand in his mouth, tugging him back.  
"Come on Hunk!"  
Hunk shook his head, flicking his flippers.  
"Hunk!" Lance complained, before freezing.  
His tail flicked and his gills spread, mouth opening to taste the water.  
"Hunk I smell blood!" Lance yelled, "Come on!"  
Flicking away quickly, Lance swam as fast as he could towards the scent of blood. He was vaguely aware of Hunk following behind him, but his mind was set on one thing. Someone was hurt, all determination to check out the pirate ship that had been spotted was wiped from his mind. Something much less impressive was floating nearby, Lance stopped a short distance away to surface. He bobbed just above the waves, watching the figure in the boat. He had no idea what they were doing but it looked important from the urgency of their movements. Hunk surfaced beside him.  
"It's coming from there, who do you think they are?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.  
Hunk looked up at him, blinking.  
"Go check it out," Lance said.  
Hunk wacked him with a flipper.  
"A seal is less suspicious than a Mer, go look!"  
Hunk looked up at him, before blinking and diving. Lance could just about make out his shadow heading towards the boat, circling it steadily. His head poked above the water several times, but the person on the boat didn't seem to notice. Hunk eventually swam back, Lance slipped back under.  
"So, is it them?" Lance asked.  
Hunk shook his head, gesturing with his flipper.  
"Ok, there's a rocky outcropping not too far away, come on."

The two swam to a small collection of rocks, not far for them but pretty far away. Lance hauled himself up on a rock, tail shimmering blue in the sunlight. Hunk hauled himself up alongside Lance, his seal body melting away to reveal a human body covered by a smooth seal skin.  
"So?" Lance asked, cocking his head to one side.  
"They're not part of the Empire," Hunk said, "Although I could only see one of them properly, the other was at the bottom of the boat and I couldn't see them. But I think that's where the blood was coming from."  
Lance nodded with a thoughtful frown, "Well what are they doing in a little rowboat?"  
"Lance, how would I know?" Hunk said, crossing his arms.  
"Hah...Good point," Lance said, tapping his chin, "Come on then."  
"We're going back?" Hunk asked.  
"Nope, we're going to check them out tonight, when they're asleep," Lance said, sliding back into the water.  
"I knew you were going to say that," Hunk grumbled, transforming back into a seal before following Lance.

The hovered around the boat until the sunset, deep enough to not be noticed but shallow enough that Hunk could still surface to breathe. They waited until they were both asleep, Hunk checking back occasionally.   
"Come on then," Lance said, flicking himself to the surface.  
He surfaced on one side of the boat, Hunk on the other. Pulling themselves up on the rowboat, their weight balancing each other out.  
"Huh, interesting," Lance said.  
There were two land dwellers in the boat. One looked relatively human looking, if with slightly unusual face shape. The other almost made Lance plunge back into the water.   
"Dragon!" Lance hissed, before looking closer, "Huh, maybe not."  
He had scales and horns and a tail. Lance could just about make out claws and his legs looked odd.  
"Weird looking," Lance hummed, reaching out to poke at the fleshy part of the 'dragon.'   
"Soft," he muttered, "Dragons aren't soft," he poked the scaly part, "And hard at the same time. What are you?"  
A waving flipper caught his attention, Lance looked up. Hunk gestured with his head and the two dived back into the water.

Much to Hunk's protest, Lance decided to hang around the boat. Hunk stuck with him, if a bit reluctantly. As time drew on, Lance became worried. Land dwellers couldn't live out on the ocean long without things to help them survive, maybe he should ask Allura about it. He was sure she had said something about it.   
"Do you think they're in trouble Hunk?" he asked, heading towards the surface.  
Hunk blinked at him, he assumed that was a yes. Boosting himself up the side of the boat, Lance expected to look down on two sleeping and dwellers. Instead he was met with a pair of dark eyes. The dragon sat up suddenly, pain flashing across his face. Their eyes locked, Lance couldn't look away. Hunk suddenly barked, making Lance jump and breaking the moment. Startled, Lance dropped off the boat and into the water. He swam down and away, flaring his fins in panic.

"So we're not going to the boat?" Hunk asked, looking hopeful.  
"I don't know," Lance said, flicking his fins idly.  
"What's wrong?" Hunk said.  
"I think they're in real trouble," Lance said, picking at the webbing between his fingers.  
"Yeah?" Hunk said, "I think I know where this is going."  
"I want to help, they'll die if I don't," Lance said, glaring a head.  
"I gathered," Hunk shook his head, "It's a bad idea."  
"But you'll help?" Lance grinned.  
"Of course I will," Hunk smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I decided to post two chapters at once. This should be updated weekly if I can manage it.


	3. Lost at Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge and Keith are trapped together on a rowboat in the middle of the ocean with no hoped of rescue, there were probably worse ways to die....

"That must have been a Mer," Pidge said, crossing her arms.  
"Really? I've never seen one before," Keith said, wincing.  
"Really? Mr adverse to water, I wouldn't believe it."  
"I'm not adverse, I just don't like it."  
Pidge shook her head, "Whatever you say, so our choices now are die of dehydration, starve if we can get rain water, drown or get killed by a pod of mermaids."  
"They'll kill us?"  
"Depends, I mean I've heard rumours but never seen one myself," Pidge shrugged, "I mean it's not like anyone I know lives near the sea."  
Keith nodded, "I suppose being killed by Mer would not be too bad."  
Pidge shrugged, "Probably better than the other options, quicker too."  
Keith chuckled, then winced. Pidge frowned, he didn't seem to be doing to good. His scales were starting to go pale and flake off, which could be attributed to what happened on the ship. She really hoped that was all.  
"How do you feel?" she asked, cocking her had to one side.  
"Hungry and slightly sea sick, it's a strange combination," Keith said, closing his eyes.  
"Aright, if your back hurts, tell me" Pidge said, frowning.  
"Yeah, I will," Keith said.

It was hot, way too hot. Pidge didn't really have an issue with the heat, normally. This though, was not a normal condition. Keith seemed to be fairing a bit better, being a desert dweller. The two of them laid in the bottom of the boat, sheltered a little from the sun by the high sides of the boat.  
"If I die," Pidge said, "You may eat me to live."  
"Oh thanks I guess," Keith said, "You'd probably be all stringy though."  
"Charming," Pidge sighed, "Just for that I'm going to eat you with or without your permission."  
"Wow, harsh," Keith grumbled.  
Pidge chuckled, kicking him gently.  
Keith sighed, "I'm going to sleep for a bit."  
"Alright, I'll wake you up if anything happens," Pidge said.  
"Yeah," Keith murmured, obviously drifting off.  
Pidge crossed her arms over her eyes, sighing softly. When he wakes up she needs to check on his back again, hopefully it wouldn't get infected.  
The sun was starting to lower, Pidge considered waking Keith up. She groaned and sat up, rocking the boat a little. She was so hungry and thirsty, there was no way they could survive that much longer. Pidge started as something came flying into the boat, she stared down at the hefty looking fish resting in the bottom of the boat.  
"Keith, Keith wake up!" she said, reaching over to him, "Keith!"  
He groaned, stirring, "Pidge?"  
"Look," she said, gesturing to the fish.  
Both of them stared at it for a minute, until another fell right on top of it. Both of them looked over the edge, two heads were poking out of the water.  
"What the," Pidge muttered as they vanished.  
Sitting back, they both looked at the fish for a second, before lunging for them.

The both devoured the fish, although Keith was much worse, eating the entire thing practically whole.   
"Ew, why?" Pidge grumbled, tossing her leftover parts overboard.  
Keith rolled his eyes, "You're such a human."  
She punched his shoulder, "And you're disgusting."  
Keith shrugged, "At least I get more out of it."  
"Whatever, I need to check your back," Pidge said, "Turn."  
Keith sighed, turning around. Pidge carefully picked at the makeshift bandage, pulling it away. It looked a little unpleasant, she gnawed her lip.  
"It may be getting a little infected," she said, "I'm not too sure."  
"Right," Keith muttered, "That's not good."  
"No, but if it doesn't get worse it should be ok," she said, "I'll leave the bandage off though, you've stopped bleeding."  
Keith turned back to her, "Alright then."  
"So, we're not going to die?" she said, scratching her head.  
"Apparently not," Keith said.  
"I've never heard of Mer helping out stranded people," Pidge said, shaking her head.  
"Well apparently they do, or this one does," Keith frowned.  
"These ones," Pidge said, "If there's one, there'll be more."  
"Huh, well let's just hope they all agree on saving us," Keith said.  
"Yeah, here's hoping," Pidge muttered. 

Keith steadily got worse, his temperature raised steadily, skin flushed. Pidge wasn't sure what she could do. The food kept coming, fish and the occasional seagull but Keith just kept getting sicker.  
"Keith, damn," she muttered as she checked his back, the wounds were oozing yellow pus.  
"Ow, Pidge careful," he hissed, pulling away from her gentle hands on his back.  
"This is not good," she muttered, the skin around it was burning hot and bright red.  
Keith hummed noncommittally, clearly starting to doze off. He spent most of his time sleeping now, curled up in the bottom of the boat to protect from the sun as much as possible.  
"Please don't die Keith," she muttered.  
They were moving somewhere, somewhere more than just where the gentle rocking of the ocean would take them. Maybe they'd hit some sort of current, hopefully it would lead them to shore. Time that wasn't spent resting in the bottom of the boat was spent watching the waves. She was sure she could see a couple of shadows just under the surface, circling the boat in a wide arch. Pidge hoped they were the Mer helping them and not sharks, she'd never met a shark and really didn't want to. She slumped back into the boat, breathing out a long breath. She really hoped they reached land soon.

It was pouring with rain, Pidge sat as close to Keith as physically possible. He was still suffering from a fever, but was a little more lucid than before.  
"Because that's what we need pneumonia," Keith grumbled.  
Pidge groaned, "I hate the ocean."  
Keith chuckled, "Don't say that, you'll insult the Mer."  
Pidge rolled her eyes, "They won't be able to understand us, I think."  
"You think?"  
"Well, my information is second hand, and probably inaccurate."  
"Which makes it useless?" Keith shook his head.  
"Better than what you have," Pidge grumbled.   
A sudden splash by the side of the boat sent it rocking a little.  
"What was that?" Keith asked, shivering slightly.  
"No idea, I hope it's not a shark," Pidge said.  
"A shark?" Keith frowned, curling in on himself.  
Pidge nodded, "Big, lots of teeth."  
"Is this more second hand information?"  
"Yup, but I'm pretty sure this is true!" Pidge grinned.  
"Great."

Keith wouldn't wake up, or at least not properly. His eyelids would flutter, he would groan but he wouldn't quite be there. Pidge shook his shoulder, but nothing.  
"Keith! Keith!" she called, this was really not good.  
There weren't many, or any options really.  
"Damn it," she muttered, moving to the edge of the boat.  
This idea was probably stupid, but Pidge had no other choice.  
"Help!" she called out, hoping she wasn't just yelling at the ocean, "Please, someone! We need help"  
The boat rocked slightly, a slight thump on the bottom of the boat. Pidge froze, then fell backwards as a head popped up from the water. Keith groaned as Pidge tripped over him, but there was no other response. After several deep breaths, she moved back to the edge of the boat. The head was still there, but the shoulders were shaking and a smile was plastered on his face. He seemed to be laughing at her. She frowned, but there were more pressing matters.  
"We need your help," she said, "Please my friend is really sick, if we don't get to land and too some help soon, he's going to die."  
Pidge had no idea if he could understand her, she sure hoped so. The head dipped back under water, Pidge sat back on her heels. This was really bad, she could just about hear soft chittering and clicking beneath the surface. She hoped that wasn't wondering what she had said. Two splashes and suddenly there were two figures towering over them. One was the mer, the other was a seal. The mer tilted his head to one side, fins flaring on either side of his face. Pidge remained frozen, looking between the two.  
"He looks bad," the mer said, looking up at the seal.  
Pidge reeled, he could talk.  
"Like really bad, she'll have to help," he muttered, studying Keith closely.  
There were scales on his face and arms, silver and blue shining slightly. The seal seemed to be bobbing his head, tilting it from side to side.  
"I know but, we can't just leave him," the mer said, a splash and a thud on the side of the boat.  
"Please," Pidge said, "Help us."  
The mer looked at her, blinking two sets of eyelids.  
"Alright," he said, "Ok hang on tight."  
They vanished back into the water with a splash.  
"Keith? Keith?" Pidge said softly, "Just hang on ok."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much happens...they're in a rowboat...in the ocean...what is going to happen?
> 
> I am hoping to update every Tuesday with this one, however I do have a habit of loosing track of the days of the week so apologies in advance for me forgetting.


	4. Allura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious castle, new people and a species that is supposed to be extinct.

Keith blinked awake slowly, something was different. It took him a minute to work it out, then he realised he wasn't in pain. Ever since his wings had been cut off, there had been a dull throbbing pain running through his back. As the days had dragged on and the infection had gotten worse, it had transformed into a stabbing agonising sensation. Now though, it felt a bit numb but nothing more. He looked around, well he wasn't in the boat anymore. It was a large room, a mixture of wood and stone. Where the hell was he, and where was Pidge. Keith bolted upright, groaning slightly at the dulled pain in his back. Sliding out of bed, he headed for the door, locked. Glancing around, Keith made for the window. He pulled back the soft curtains, freezing as he reached for the latch. Green fields dipping down to a valley, a small village nestled in it. Where was he? There was a clunk of the door unlocking, Keith whirled around, fangs bared.  
"I'm gone for two minutes and you're going to jump out the window," Pidge grumbled, arms crossed.  
"Pidge?" he said, stepping away from the window, "What? Where? Huh?"  
"Eloquent," Pidge said, walking over and sitting on the bed, "We're on Arus."  
"Arus?" Keith frowned in confusion.  
"A small string of islands in the middle of nowhere, we're currently on the biggest," Pidge said, "They're uncharted so don't tell anyone."  
"How did we get here?" Keith frowned, "What happened?"  
"Well you passed out and wouldn't wake up, I panicked and started yelling for help," Pidge said, "And I actually got a response."  
Keith rubbed his eyes, "So we were brought here?"  
"Yep, you've been out for about three days but you look much better. How do you feel?"  
"Well I'm not in agonising pain anymore so alright I guess," Keith said, stretching, "Just a bit sore."  
"Perfect," Pidge said bouncing to her feet, "Come on then, you need to meet the others."  
"Others?"

Wherever they were was huge, seemingly endless corridors in the same marble and wood. Large paintings and what looked like tapestries hanging everywhere, a thick layer of dust covering the furniture.   
"Are we in a castle?" Keith asked, frowning up at the elegant carvings.  
"Yep," Pidge said, he wasn't expecting that answer.  
"Ok, what?"  
"We're in a castle, an old one, very old," Pidge said, "I should probably warn you try not to stare too hard."  
"At what?"  
"You'll see."  
"Just tell me.  
"No, I want to see your reaction."  
"Pidge," Keith stopped in the middle of the hallway.  
Pidge sighed, rolling her eyes and stopping beside him.  
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Although I suppose a couple of them aren't a big fan of dragons seen as though they killed their entire race but it'll be fine!"   
"Keith glowered, turning around, "I'm going out the window."  
"Keith! Keith!" Pidge said, grabbing his arm, "Look, they took you in, healed you it'll be alright don't worry."  
"I'm worrying Pidge," Keith said, stopping beside an ornate suit of armour.  
"Come on! Are you hungry? They'll be serving dinner soon."  
"I'm not hungry," Keith said, loudly over the sound of his rumbling stomach.  
Pidge raised her eyebrows.  
"Fine," Keith grumbled, "But if this goes wrong it's all on you."  
"I'll recover," Pidge shrugged, dragging him along, "I mean I'll never get over the stowaway idea so I think I'll cope with extra."  
Keith sighed, he had no desire to do this but dinner sounded amazing.

From the rest of the palace the door to the dining room was really nothing impressive.  
"Are you ready," Pidge said.  
"I'm starting to think there's going to be nothing all that exciting behind that door," Keith said, frowning, "And that you're just being an asshole."  
"Or maybe that's the plan all along, building you up so that when what I said is true you'll be even more shocked!" Pidge grinned.  
"I hate you."  
"No you don't."  
Pidge pushed the door open, stepping into the room first.  
"We have an extra for dinner," she declared, strolling in.  
Keith slipped in behind her, eyes flicking around the room. Maybe it was better that Pidge hadn't told him before, there was no way he would've believed her. The room was unremarkable, a rough wooden table and some chairs, the people in the room were the strange thing. His eyes were drawn to a chirrup, there was a merman sat at the table.  
"Excellent," he grinned, there was a merman at the table.  
There was no water, no signs of water he was just sat upright on a chair at the table silver-blue tail curled around the legs of the chair a bright grin on his face. Why was there a merman at the table? Eyes shifting away from that weirdness, his gaze shifted to the other occupants of the room. The two of them stood there, open hostility on the woman's face, the man looking curiously interested. More than that, they were elves. He glanced at Pidge.  
"So elves aren't extinct," she said, "This is Allura and Coran."  
The merman made a noise of protest.  
"And that's Lance, he brought us here and gave us most of the food on the boat."  
"No, the elves aren't extinct, but we are the last ones," Allura said, voice guarded and cautious.  
"Um, ok," Keith said, shifting over to the table.  
He took a seat between Lance and Pidge, eyes flitting around the room, this was awkward.  
"I'm glad you're alive," Lance said suddenly, lent on his hand, elbow on the table, "I mean you did almost die."  
"Thanks?" Keith frowned, "I guess."  
"You were a long way from land," he continued, picking idly at the webbing between his fingers, "We had put you in a current that would get you to land eventually, but we did need to get you somewhere faster."  
"Right," Keith said, not sure how to respond.  
"I mean you looked pretty rough, but lucky Allura and Coran are very good with medicine."  
"Ok," Keith said, scratching the table nervously with his claws.   
Lance frowned, turning away.  
"Princess, I spotted a ship by the volcanoes today, they're getting closer," he said.  
Allura sighed, "I'm not surprised, I didn't think we could stay here for much longer."  
Keith looked over at Pidge as the conversation shifted to ships and their routes, she shrugged.  
"I hope you guys are hungry!" a cheerful voice called, Keith's head snapped to the noise.  
"Well duh," Lance grinned, fins flaring in excitement.  
"That's Hunk," Pidge muttered, leaning over, "He makes the best...well if Lance is to be believed, everything."  
"He does I swear!" Lance interrupted, causing Keith to jump, "I mean I'm not a big fan of cooked food but man."  
He made a warbling sound in his throat, Keith had no idea what it meant but it sounded happy.  
"Here you go," Hunk said, sliding down a plate of what looked like fish, "It's good to see you awake Keith."  
Keith's nose twitched at the smell of cooked fish, after ages of nothing but fish Keith thought he'd be sick of it. This was cooked though and smelt ridiculously nice.  
"Yay!" Lance whooped, "Looks good."  
Hunk chucked, "Hold your horses Lance, you know the deal."  
Lance slumped back, frowning, "I didn't eat that much."  
"Sure you didn't buddy," Hunk laughed, "But you know the rules."  
Lance sulked as everyone else was served first, tail thumping on the floor in irritation. Keith looked down at his plate, his stomach rumbling loudly. He hesitated for a second before tucking in, it tasted as good as it smelled.  
"Very good Hunk," Coran smiled brightly.  
"Swordfish next time, I'll bring you one!" Lance declared, grinning and showing off vicious looking teeth.  
"Lance," Allura chuckled, "Don't be putting yourself in unnecessary danger."  
Lance crossed his arms, "It's not dangerous, swordfish aren't that vicious, ok maybe a little, but I can handle them. They taste so good too!"  
Hunk shrugged, "He's right, about them tasting good I'd protest the danger levels though."  
Lance scoffed, "I can take a swordfish, easy."  
"Remember last time?" Hunk asked.  
"Ok, point one, you weren't there the last time. Sorry but I went and ate alone, if I didn't I'd have to share. Point two that wasn't my fault," Lance said, counting off on his fingers.  
"You ate an entire swordfish by yourself?" Hunk said.  
"No, I ate most of it. I was with Plaxum at the time," Lance shrugged, "But anyway, I'll hunt one down and you can try it."  
"Swordfish?" Pidge asked.  
"Yep, fish with a big pointy nose," Lance said, gesturing enthusiastically.  
"Also sharp, don't forget sharp," Hunk said.  
"Minor details," Lance dismissed.  
The ocean was terrifying, after being trapped on a rowboat in the middle of it Keith really couldn't think any different. But hearing Lance describe all the different sea creatures he'd seen and or hunted, made him slightly queasy.  
"Giant squid?" Pidge said, "No way."  
"Yeah, that's how my second cousin went, dragged into the depths," Lance frowned and shook his head.  
Keith shuddered, nope he did not want to head back out there anytime soon, or again. Not that he had much of a choice, they couldn't stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get my laptop to work this morning was a nightmare...update 1 of 234325
> 
> Anyway, have a new chapter, new characters and a mer in the dining room...on a chair...idk I thought it was funny.


	5. Arus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Pidge live a few days on the island.

Arus was beautiful, but tiny. Keith could see the entire island from his perch atop the tallest hill, arms crossed and rested on his knees as he crouched. The castle itself was perched atop a cliff right by the ocean, the village right by it. The rest was just fields of grass and flowers and the beach. Keith could just about make out another island in the distance, but without his wings there was no way of reaching it. He wasn't going back out on a boat, not yet. A breeze pushed his hair back, bringing the scent of the sea with it. Keith curled in further on himself, the gesture not as comforting without the warm familiar weight over him.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the temperature dropped a little. Not massively but enough for Keith to start shivering, his tail curled around his body trying to preserve heat.  
"Find the highest point and you'll find Keith," Pidge said suddenly from behind him.  
Keith blinked up at her, "I was just thinking."  
"Careful," Pidge said, sitting beside him, "You'll hurt yourself."  
Keith shook his head, stretching out slightly his legs were slightly sore.  
"You hungry?" she asked, "Dinner's almost ready?"  
"I'm not particularly," Keith said, swishing his tail in the grass.  
"Yeah, that wasn't a choice," Pidge said, "You're coming back for dinner."  
"Since when have you been an advocate of eating dinner?  
"Since Lance persuaded me to come convince you to come to dinner," she shrugged.  
"How on earth did he manage that?"  
"I'm not actually sure, it might have been emotional manipulation or I did hear somewhere mer had hypnotic voices. I'm leaning more towards guilt trip and puppy dog eyes."  
"I thought that sort of thing didn't work on you?"  
"It doesn't but it's hard to argue with someone who saved your life."  
"You have a good point," Keith sighed, "Alright, I'll head in a minute."  
Pidge nodded, "Alright, don't take too long."

"I thought you said you were going to catch us a swordfish," Pidge said as the food was placed in front of them.  
Lance crossed his arms, "In one day? Don't be stupid they live way out."  
"I mean if you can't do it..." Pidge said.  
Lance puffed out his cheeks, "I can! I just didn't fancy it! Anyway I said I'd take you to the reef tomorrow so I can't unless you don't want to go?"  
"No no, I want to go," Pidge said hurriedly.  
"Thought so," Lance said, shrugging, "I'll go after that."  
"Rest first?" Hunk said, serving out the last of the dinner.  
"You don't have to go," Lance said, "I can go alone."  
"Maybe I won't," Hunk said, "After all every time we do something you call exciting we end up getting in trouble."  
Lance scoffed, "That was one time."  
"I can count four...five! Off the top of my head!" Hunk said.  
Lance shrugged, flexing his tail idly. They seemed to have a silent discussion, a back and forth made up of nothing but eye contact.  
Hunk sighed, "Fine I'll come."  
Lance grinned.

Keith twitched and curled his tail around himself, head rested on his hands. Sunlight was filtering through the curtains, but Keith didn't feel like moving. He'd organised the blankets and pillows into a makeshift nest, it made him feel better. It was rare for Keith to feel any sort of draconic instinct, let alone act on it. His ear twitched at the sound of movement outside his door. Curling up tighter, Keith flexed his claws in the blankets. Maybe he should get up, Pidge and the others had gone down to the beach. He could go there, join them. He stretched out, curving his spine and sliding out of bed. It was probably better than just laying in bed, even if the thought of going near the ocean made him shudder.

"Hey Keith! Check this out!" Pidge said, waving him over when she spotted him.  
"What?" he asked, walking over to them.  
The three of them were stood at the edge of the ocean, looking in the small pools made by the rock. He tried to ignore the smell of fish and salt, the lingering dread and memories of pain. Hopping up to perch on the rock beside Pidge, he looked down at whatever was in her hand.   
"It's a shell?"  
"No, look closer," Pidge said, lifting her hand higher.  
Keith lent a little closer, noting for the first time something inside the shell. Whatever it was slowly unfurled itself from its shell.  
"It's a hermit crab!" Pidge said excitedly.  
"Hermit crab?" Keith asked, "Huh? It's really strange."  
"Yup," Pidge grinned.  
"Guys! Check out this starfish!" Lance called from a little further up.  
Pidge stood up, hopping across the rocks towards him. Keith followed, claws digging into the slippery rocks to keep balance. 

Lance was leaning up and over the rocks, pointing into the small pool. Keith crouched down beside him, looking where he was pointing. Sea creatures were strange.  
"Cool huh?" Lance grinned, bumping into Keith's shoulder.  
Keith blinked, looking down at Lance. He was grinning, showing off his sharp teeth. Fins flared, either side of his face and down his arms.  
"Here I'll see if I can find you a crab," Lance said, reaching into the pool and flipping over rocks.  
Keith's eyes scanned down Lance's body. There was no clear divide between tail and torso, the silvery scales continuing up along his arms and some on his face. They seemed to almost blend into the skin at the edges, unlike Keith's which ended abruptly.  
"Here!" Lance shouted, snapping Keith back to reality.  
He held up the small creature. Keith had seen crabs before, at markets and by the coast. This one was tiny though, pincers extended in a threatening manner.  
"Cute, look at his little pincers," Lance grinned.  
He waved his finger in front of the crab, giggling as it waved its pincers threateningly.  
"Cute is not a word I would use," Pidge said.  
Lance rolled his eyes, tisking.  
"No accounting for taste," Lance said, clicking softly.

The tide came in, obscuring the rock pools they'd been looking in forcing them up the beach.  
"You said you wanted to look at the coral reef?" Lance said, circling idly in the shallows.  
"Yes," Pidge grinned.  
"See where the light blue water becomes dark blue? That white band is where the coral reef is, those are the waves breaking over it," Lance said.  
Pidge stood up, heading towards the water.  
"Come on then," she said.  
"Hunk you coming?" Lance asked, paddling slightly further out.  
"No, I'm good," Hunk said, "Just remember land dwellers need to breath air."  
"I do know," Lance said, "Hang on tight."  
Pidge grabbed Lance's shoulders and the two of them vanished beneath the surface.  
"Is he likely to forget?" Keith asked, frowning.  
"Probably not," Hunk said, "He's normally pretty good with this kind of thing."  
"How often have you done this?" Keith asked.  
"Not often, mostly just with Allura," Hunk shrugged, "They've been exploring these waters together for a little while now."  
"Why?" Keith asked.  
"There are some interesting things around here," Hunk said, "Things like shipwrecks and old sunken ruins, pretty cool things to look at."  
"Interesting," Keith said.  
"You can get out of here in about three days," Hunk said.  
Keith blinked.  
"We're making some adjustments to the rowboat so it's more suited to being out at sea," Hunk said, "There's a current a few miles out that will take you back to mainland."  
"Drifting out in the ocean again, just what I wanted to do," Keith said.  
"Well it's either that or stay here," Hunk said, "And from what Pidge has told me I don't think you want to do that."  
"No, no we don't," Keith replied, leaning back on his arms, "So boat or nothing?"  
"I'm afraid so," Hunk shrugged, "Water's the only way on and off this island."  
"Oh," Keith said.  
"You know the ocean is not all bad," Hunk said.  
"I'll believe it when I see it," Keith said, "Nothing but bad experiences."  
Hunk shrugged, "Well, if you fancy a change of mind, I'm sure Lance would be happy to show you something's. Really happy, seriously just ask."  
"Alright," Keith said.  
He supposed it was a nice option if he ever had an aneurysm and decided that exploring the ocean was a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much happens in this chapter, but Keith moping and them learning about sea life...yay.


	6. Shipwrecks and Spirits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance explores while Hunk rests on their hunt for a swordfish, until something begins to call him.

Lance loved visiting Allura. For one, she was quite possibly the beautiful woman he had ever met. Two, she was very happy to tech him all about land dweller life, to the extent of her own knowledge. Three, the shipwrecks and other human built things around the island were extremely interesting.

The water was a lot colder this deep down, it didn't bother Lance all that much though. Natural insulation was the best. This wreck was too deep and far out for Allura to explore with him, he was exploring it while Hunk took a break from swordfish hunting. Lance didn't really sleep all that much, like the other Mer he needed only the occasional nap to keep going. There wasn't a great deal of the wreck left, most of the wood having rotted away. The bits that were left were half buried in the sand. Lance combed through the sand, using the fins on his tail to brush the sand away. Many of the ships around here were old traders vessels, back from where the Galra Empire didn't own three quarters of the world. They'd met their fate on the jagged rocks surrounding Arus, they were difficult waters to navigate if you didn't know them. The best thing about it, there were so many shiny things. He loved the shiny jewels and gold chains. He'd started to amass a collection of them in Allura's castle, interesting things he'd managed to find. The prettier ones he'd gifted to Allura, he loved the way her face lit up.

A glint in the sand caught his attention, Lance flipped to dive down. Looking closer, Lance spotted the glint of something shining behind a door. Flaring his fins, Lance flicked his tail and approached the door. This room was  mostly intact, almost completely buried and Lance couldn't see any breaches in the wood. The only reason he had been able to spot the treasure was the lock and hinges on the door had rusted, causing it to drop open slightly. Giving the door a rough shove, Lance frowned as the door didn't give at all. Swimming back, he slammed into it with much more force. It jolted forward a little, so he kept doing it.

His arm was starting to feel sore, but there was almost enough room for him to squeeze through. Hooking his hands around the door, Lance began to haul himself through the gap. Wriggling and twisting his body rhythmically, Lance managed to pull himself through the gap. The wood had scraped his chest a little, but a quick glance down told him he wasn't bleeding so it was fine. Wow, this place was pretty. A lot of the stuff must have rotted away, there were some gold frames missing pictures and empty open chests. There were a lot of gold and silver shiny things too, bright jewels and other things. He began to scour through them, there were too many and some were too big for him to take them all but he could probably find a few things. A lot of them were coins, he had many of them. He scoured through, picking up anything that glinted with colour he shifted through rings, bracelets and necklaces.

He picked out a couple ring, a necklace and some bracelets. Each inlaid with a different colour. Dropping them outside the doorway, he wriggled his way back through. Scaring a few fish as he wriggled his way through, Lance carved a few deep scratches in the wood with his claws. Grabbing his treasures, Lance made for the surface. There were lots of shoals of shiny silver fish around, not much of else though. This part was rather barren. Breaching the surface, Lance looked up at the starry sky. He'd enjoyed looking at the sky for a long time, ever since that first time he'd had the guts to break the surface. Coran had been teaching him all about the constellations and how to navigate using the night's sky. His family used to mock him about spending time looking into the sky, always having his head in the clouds. Lance let out a long breath through his nose, looking around for the small island he'd left Hunk on.

Island was a generous word to describe the small clump of rocks where he'd left Hunk, there was just about enough room for the two of them to sit on it.  
"Hunk! Hunk! Look what I found!" he said, surfacing beside the rocks.  
"Lance, I was sleeping," Hunk grumbled, sitting up.  
"Yeah, but look!" Lance said, dropping his finds on the rock.  
"Lance, we discussed this," Hunk sighed, "How do you expect to get them back?"  
"Here," Lance said, clearing a space and burying them.  
"Right?" Hunk said, shrugging.  
"We can come back for them!" Lance said brightly, flicking his fins.  
Hunk glanced between the concealed treasures and Lance.  
"Alright, whatever you say," Hunk said, shaking his head, "I'm going back to sleep."  
Lance frowned, flicking his tail.  
"Ok I'll just, look around," he said, slipping back into the water.

Flicking his tail steadily, Lance steadily slipped through the water. He couldn't go all that far away, circling the small collection of rocks. There was a slight current running through them, not enough to get him to travel too fast. He closed his eyes, drifting along idly. He began to softly sing to himself, something he tended to do when he was alone or everything was a bit too quiet. The soft notes echoed through the water, filling the area with a soft tune.

Something was starting to sing back, well not sing really. Allura called them water spirits, his mama had always called them ethereals. Lance didn't really know what to make of them, only that they were useful. They had led him to Allura when he was first separated from his family, lost and alone he had followed the voices until he had found Arus. They had led him to Hunk not long after. They went silent for a long time after that, until calling him once again to find Keith and Pidge. Now, they were summoning him again.

"Hunk! Hunk!" he hissed, flicking sea water at him.  
"Lance, I told you I need sleep."  
"Huh? No, no, no, no. We need to go," Lance said, circling edgily.  
"Why?"  
"They're calling to me again."  
"The voices?"  
"That makes me sound crazy, we agreed I'm not the only one who could hear them. Allura can too."  
"Yeah, yeah I know and I believe you but you must admit it's a little strange," Hunk nodded.  
"It's a Mer thing ok," Lance shrugged, "I can't help it. Anyway, we need to go!"  
 "Alright alright, I'm coming," Hunk said, making his way into the water.  
He transformed and, trusting that Hunk would follow him, followed the voices calling him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder who they're going to find...you've probably guessed seen as though we're a paladin down.
> 
> Not masses of story to this chapter, but a bit more information about Lance. Also in my head, Mer song sound a bit like whale song.


	7. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is trapped on a boat, he takes a chance to escape...

Shiro knew what would happen, it was the same routine over and over again. It was simple, fight, win, move on. Hands heavily chained in front of him, head down, wait watch and listen. He'd tried to escape, looked for every opportunity to. They got wise to him though, always watched, always chained. Head down, eyes always on the floor. It was always best not to catch their attention. He was boarding a different ship, one he'd never been on before. It didn't really matter, the guards travelling with him were always the same. Shiro walked up the gangplank, eyes on his feet and hands. There were so many of them boarding the ships, a mixture of prisoners and gladiators like him.

The captain was stood in front of his cabin, looking down at them all. That wasn't what Shiro's eyes were drawn to though, there were wings hammered above the door, spread wide to show them off. They looked strangely familiar.  
"We take our punishments very seriously, as you can see," the captain said, gesturing to the wings, "Two stowaways we cast out to sea."  
Shio blinked, he knew those wings. Having spent years having to untangle them from trees and fences and bushes and that one memorable time fishing line, he'd know them anywhere. The brilliant red scales, the ink black webbing, those were Keith's wings. Shiro felt sudden rage fill him, Keith, what had they done to him.

Shiro pulled forward, he wasn't thinking. His chains jangled as he moved, startling the guards.  
"What did you do?" he snarled.  
The captain blinked at him, looking up at the wings.  
"Oh you knew him?"  
"What did you do?" Shiro repeated.  
"We showed the stowaways a lesson, they're probably dead by now. Set them adrift," the captain said.  
"Zero tolerance," one of the other crew members said.  
Shiro charged forward, pulling his chains taught. The guards seemed to have expected this, immediately moving to restrain him. He was strong, but they were stronger. Shiro was down on his knees in a second, strong hands forcing him down and bending his arms painfully. This was not supposed to happen, Keith was supposed to be safe. He had been far away from the empire, hidden away where he couldn't be found. Shiro looked down at the ground, why would Keith be stowed away on a boat. Unless. Unless, he was looking for Shiro. Of course he would be, Shiro knew Keith wasn't just one to stand by and do nothing. He had at least hoped Keith would heed the last thing he said to him and stay in their home. Too much to hope for.

Shiro and the other prisoners were dragged below deck, thrown into individual cells. Shiro was chained to the wall, guards posted just outside his door. Escape though, was the last thing on his mind. Keith was gone, it was all his fault. Shiro shifted, staring at his hands. That's where the real problem lay. He didn't know how, some form of dark magic, but where had once been his ordinary arm was now a draconic forepaw. He had lost the arm in a fight, Shiro had thought that would be the end of him. Sent away to work in the mines, like the other prisoners incapable of fighting. His memory was pretty hazy after that, only the feeling of pain and fear. Next thing he knew, he had the dragon arm and was lined up for his next fight.

He didn't know how long he was in the cell for, it didn't really matter. All the journeys seemed to merge into one after a while. Shiro felt the gentle sway of the ship, hear the muttering of the guards he focused instead on scratching the floor of the cell with his talons. There was soft muttering from the other side of the door, it seemed the guards were changing shifts. He had been here a while then.

There was the sound of a key turning in a lock, Shiro ducked his head down further. This happened often, the guards did love to come and mock the gladiators. After all, all chained up they can do nothing. It swung open, someone stepped inside.  
"There isn't much time," the guard hissed, walking over.  
Shiro blinked up at him.  
"Everyone's asleep bar a few of the guards, you should be able to sneak past them though," the guard continued, reaching down and undoing the chains around Shiro's wrists.  
"What?" Shiro asked, looking up at him.  
"I'm helping you escape," the guard said back.  
He pulled Shiro to his feet, leading him out of the cell. Locking the door behind them, the guard pointed, to his right.  
"Follow that corridor down, listen for the patrols, there's a lifeboat on the port side. It's covered but filled with enough supplies you should be able to get back to land," the guard continued.  
"Why are you helping me?" Shiro asked.  
The guard shook his head.  
"That's a long story I don't have time to explain, now go."

Shiro followed the guards instructions, listening out for footfalls on wood that signified a guard. There didn't seem to be that many, but enough to keep Shiro on his toes. Lucky the prison was a maze of wooden corridors to hide down when one passed. He pushed onward, marvelling at how many different mythologicals there were. He knew the empire had captured most of the world, so many were forced into work. He finally reached the top deck, it was practically empty save for a couple of men keeping watch. They weren't really paying attention though and it was night, Shiro slipped by in the shadows. He found the correct lifeboat relatively easily, there were only a couple on the port side and only one with a cover. Trusting the cover of darkness to keep him hidden, Shiro clambered in before lowering the boat into the water.

That first night was spent rowing away, as far away as possible. Shiro was exhausted, so he couldn't row that far,  or that fast. However, the ship was going in the opposite direction. He rested for a while, drifting in and out of an uneasy sleep. He rowed for the next day and most of the night. He didn't have a direction, no idea which way land was. The constellations were unfamiliar to him.

It was on his fourth night of aimlessly drifting when something happened.  
"Why do you have a dragon arm?"  
Shiro sat bold upright at the voice, claws bared. Whoever it was dipped back into the water.  
"Wait hold on, sorry you startled me," Shiro said, leaning over the side.  
There was a face in the water, tanned skin with brilliant scales crawling up his cheeks.  
"You're a Mer," Shiro said, eyes wide.  
The Mer bobbed up, lifting his torso out of the water, supporting himself on the boat.  
"You work that one out by yourself?" he said, fins flickering in amuzement.  
"Sorry," Shiro muttered, "I've just never seen one of your kind before."  
The Mer shrugged, "You're a land dweller, it's understandable. What are you doing out here anyway?"  
"It's a long story."  
"Summarise."  
"I escaped from a boat."  
"Huh, strange," the mer said, cocking his head to one side.  
"I'm Shiro."  
"Lance, pleased to meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you could all guess who Lance was going to, but here we have what happened to Shiro, well a little.
> 
> Ok so, sorry to tell you this but due to work commitments, this story will be on hiatus for a few weeks, I'm planning only for two.
> 
> Anyway enjoy this chapter during your wait...


	8. Reunion and Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is grouchy, Shiro returns and Lance has had enough.

Keith's back ached. It was not a stabbing pain, not anymore. Whatever Allura and Coran had done had healed his back, leaving only a couple of jagged scars. His back ached dully, a gentle throbbing  that never seemed to go away. That, joined with the fact he had very little to do, was starting to wear on him. Keith's tail twitched as Pidge poked it, flicking idly. She hopped up to sit on the window ledge beside him.  
"He should be back by tomorrow, Coran and Allura are happy with you wounds so we can go then," she said.  
Keith nodded absentmindedly.  
"We're going into the village today, fancy joining?" she asked.  
Keith let out a long breath, stretching out his legs.  
"Sure, I mean it's not like my appearance will bother them or anything," Keith said dryly.   
Pidge glared at him, crossing her arms.  
"Come on, you're coming," she said, "It's not often we get to meet new people."  
"You hate new people," Keith said, frowning.  
"I do, but these guys make enchanted weapons!" Pidge said, bright grin on her face.  
Keith cocked his head to one side.  
"Thought that would interest you," she said.  
"Enchanted weapons?" Keith said, sitting up.  
"Oh yeah," Pidge said brightly.  
Keith frowned, ears and tail twitching.  
"Alright," he said, sliding back into the room.

The arusians, as they liked to call themselves, adored Allura. Keith wasn't sure what type of mythological they were, they looked like some sort of dwarf species. The horns were a little odd though, vividly coloured hair and darker makings on their skin. Keith hovered at the edge of the square, ears and tail twitching nervously. Most of the villages were shooting his curious looks, none of them looked too worried about him though. Pidge was looking around, chatting with some of them about who knows what. Keith jumped as something touched his tail, he turned. One of the arusians was stood there, blinking up at him with wide eyes. They turned and sprinted back to the main group, while still keeping their eyes on Keith. He flicked his tail, taking a deep breath he walked towards everyone.

The staring increased as he made his way over to Pidge, as did the whispering. Keith ignored it, he was used to hushed words and judgmental looks.  
"You're half dragon aren't you?" one of the arusians asked.  
Keith faltered, people didn't tend to ask, instead dancing around the subject until it became awkward.  
"Yeah, I am," Keith replied.  
There was a collective wow from the entire village, until suddenly Keith was surrounded. They didn't seem to have any personal boundaries, standing very close and prodding at his tail and legs.  
"So are your scales fireproof?"  
"Was your mum or dad the dragon?"  
"I thought most dragons were purple? How come you are red?"  
"Do you need to wear armour or are your scales enough protection?"  
"How about your claws? Is it true they can cut through anything?"  
Keith was suddenly bombarded with questions, his ears flicked nervously. He really wasn't used to this much, or kind, of attention.  
"Um?" was the only reaction Keith could come up with.  
There were too many questions all at once, all of them asking  over each other until there was nothing but noise. It didn't seem to matter than he wasn't answering any, they just all kept babbling.  
"Keith, they've got blades over here!" Pidge yelled.  
Keith breathed a sigh of relief, taking the excuse to escape the crowd he seemed to have amassed. Pidge was biting back a laugh.  
"Curious creatures aren't they?"  
"Sod off."

Keith's interest in knives was mostly practical, although there was a little draconic instinct to hoard too but he tried to ignore that. The knives here were well made, built for practicality rather than decoration. He could feel the magic thrumming from it, although dragons weren't naturally inclined to magic he could still sense it.  
"Keith!" Keith's ear twitched, he thought someone was calling his name.  
"Keith!" Everyone was preoccupied.  
"Keith!" it sounded like.  
"Keith!"  
"Hunk?"   
Keith turned to where the voice was, spotting Hunk half running over the hill. Keith blinked, surprised.  
"What's up Hunk?" Pidge asked.  
Hunk stopped, panting for a minute.  
"Beach! We've found, go the beach!" Hunk said, waving his hand.  
Pidge glanced over at Keith, shrugging.  
"Beach it is."

There was a small boat on the shore, someone was pulling it up on shore.  
"Come on then," Pidge said, setting off down the hill.  
Keith followed her, skidding slightly on the soft ground.  
"So are we just supposed to help this person? Couldn't Hunk do that?" Pidge asked.  
"I don't know," Keith shrugged, rolling his eyes.  
They walked up a sand ridge, they were incredibly close and Keith could make out voices over the sound of the waves. He froze, ears flickering. One of the voices was Lance, the other.  
"Shiro?" he muttered.  
Keith half-sprinted up the rest of the sand ridge staring down at the scene beneath him. There was Lance, half beached smiling up and chatting. There, pulling the boat onto the shore was Shiro. Some of his hair had gone white, there was a scar across his face and one of his arms. Keith did a double take, one of his arms was draconic. But it was Shiro. Shiro who had gone missing a year ago. Shiro who he'd been searching for. Shiro had just shown up on the beach. Keith almost completely lost his footing as he sprinted forward, slipping on the loose sand.  
"Shiro!" he yelled.  
Shiro turned from where he was talking to Lance, a smile growing on his face.  
"Keith!"  
They met halfway, arms instinctively wrapping around each other. It had been so long, far too long.  
"What happened? Where did you go?" Keith asked, pulling away.  
Shiro sighed, running a hand through his hair.  
"Shiro?" Pidge asked, appearing at his side.  
Shiro looked at her, frowning slightly and squinting.   
"Matt Holt was my brother," she said, "You were with him when you vanished? Where is he?"  
Shiro's eyes widened in recognition.  
"Katie?"  
Pidge nodded.  
"We got separated, he went to the mines I think. I don't know if he's still there," Shiro frowned, "I was taken to the gladiator rings."  
"Gladiator rings?" Keith asked softly, crossing his arms tightly around his chest.  
Shiro nodded, his body shaking slightly. Lance flicked his tail, splashing slightly. Keith looked down at him.  
"I've seen some of those places," Lance nodded, "Well heard."  
He shuddered slightly.  
"There was always so much screaming."  
Shiro closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
"We can talk back at the castle," Lance said, "You need to meet Allura."

Keith curled his tail around himself.   
"My memory of the actual battles is a fuzzy, I can't really remember them.  The rest was just journeys on ships and a cell," Shiro said.  
Lance's tail thumped on the ground from his place sprawled out on the floor.  
"How did you get out?" Hunk asked.  
Shiro rubbed his eyes.  
"One of the guards helped me out," he said, "Unlocked my cell and set me up a boat."  
"I found him and brought him here after I realised who he was!" Lance said brightly, flicking his ear fins up.  
Shiro smiled, "Yes you did."  
"He was quite a way away too," Lance continued brightly, "Also I had to leave some of the things I found on a shipwreck behind too."  
Keith was about to snap at him, it was not important. Hunk beat him too it though.  
"Lance, you could always go back for them."  
"Yeah, I suppose," Lance shrugged.  
"Anyway," Shiro said, smiling in amusement, "Keith, is there something you want to tell me?"  
Keith blinked at him, at his face where the smile had slipped off his face. Shiro looked saddened and concerned.  
"I..um...my wings," Keith said softly, crossing his arms.  
"I noticed," Shiro said, "I saw a pair of wings nailed above a door, then was told that the owner was dead."  
"What did you expect me to do?" Keith said, "Just accept you were gone?"  
"I expected you to stay safe," Shiro said, "Not go do something that stupid."  
"I didn't know what he was going to do!" Keith argued back.  
"Stowing away on a Galra ship is never a good idea, you should know this!" Shiro snapped back, irritation growing in his voice.  
"It was our only lead!" Keith growled, "I was not going to let it slip through my fingers!"  
"You put yourself in danger, you almost got killed!" Shiro said.  
"I don't regret it," Keith replied, tail flicking irritably.  
"Guys come on, stop arguing," Lance started.  
"Shut up Lance!" Keith snarled, glaring at him.  
Lance's jaw clicked shut, his face shifting in anger.  
"Keith, don't..." Shiro started, but Lance interrupted him.  
"Oh no no, it's fine," he snapped, "You know what I've had enough asshole, I saved your life, I found your brother."  
"What do you want a medal," Keith growled back.  
He'd had enough, the reunion with Shiro had gone pear shaped. He was tired of this island, he was sick of Allura giving him the cold shoulder and he'd had enough of Lance being so bright.  
"No I want you to quit being a jerk," Lance bared his teeth, "You've been nothing but a complete dick to me, I've had enough. I'm done. Hunk."  
Hunk looked hesitantly between Keith and Lance, before making his way over to the Mer. Hoisting Lance onto his back, he glanced around the room.  
"Night guys," he said, smiling awkwardly.  
"Night Hunk, night Lance," Allura said, "I may turn in too."  
"Um yes, that might be best," Coran said.  
The two of them stood up. Pidge looked between them all, before sighing and rolling her eyes.  
"Yeah sure, goodnight guys."  
They all left, Pidge clearly a little reluctantly, leaving Keith and Shiro alone.

Keith stood up, crossing his arms. He looked away, there were some interesting cobwebs in the corner.  
"Keith," Shiro said softly.  
Keith's ears dropped.  
"I waited, I did wait," Keith said, "After two weeks I couldn't wait anymore."  
A warm hand rested on his shoulder, Shiro's human hand.  
"I met Pidge a couple of months in, her father had seen what happened but was badly injured in the struggle," Keith continued, "After that, I couldn't stop."  
Shiro let out a long breath, squeezing Keith's shoulder lightly.  
"Are you alright?"  
No, Keith wanted to say. He wanted to get off the island, he'd never spent so long in one place. He wanted to soar through the skies again, feel the wind on his face.  But he could not, never again.  
"I'm...I'm ok, I just, I want to leave," Keith said.  
Shiro frowned, "Alright."  
"We still need to find Matt," Keith said.  
"And we will," Shiro said, "I need a bit of a rest though, do you mind a few more days?"  
Keith looked at Shiro, really looked at him. Eyes wide and haunted, dark bags and a much paler complexion than he remembered. Keith nodded.  
"Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Hopefully I will be able to start updating weekly again. Hopefully...I don't know how good this chapter is, I'm pretty sure I was half asleep when I wrote it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	9. Monsters of the Galra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Coran have a heart-to heart. They discover some of the Galra's plans.

Lance was not sulking, no matter what Hunk said. He was sick of Keith, he was tired of being nice and trying to befriend him to no avail. He'd had enough, so if Keith wanted him to shut up Lance would not talk to him. Lance circled around the reef, diving through the coral and scaring some of the fish. He was not sulking, just having a look around the reef, again, for around the tenth time. Fine, maybe he was sulking a little, but Lance did not like being angry and needed to ease his mind. The water was lighting up slightly, signalling dawn. Lance bobbed to the surface, watching the sky change to a shining orange. Sighing, Lance made his lazy way back to the cliff where the castle was perched. Maybe Hunk would like to do something later.

There was a small cove by the castle, a rocky area which could only be accessed by water or the very lowest levels of the castle. Lance tucked his tail under his body.  
"Morning Lance," a voice made Lance jump slightly.  
"Oh, good morning Coran," Lance replied.  
Coran seated himself on the rocks beside Lance.  
"You don't make yourself easy to find," he chuckled.  
Lance flicked his fins idly.  
"I didn't go far," he said.  
"Just needed to cool our head?"  
"I guess you could say that," Lance sighed, crossing his arms.  
Coran hummed lightly.  
"Did you find anything interesting?"  
"Yeah, a few things, but I ended up leaving them behind to bring Shiro back," Lance said softly.  
"Are you going to go back for them?" Coran asked.  
"I don't know," Lance muttered, " don't really feel like it."  
Lance looked out over the water, looking at the sunlight gleaming off it.  
"Mama never understood my obsession with what she called, human trinkets," Lance said idly, "Said there were enough beautiful things under the water for me to be enthralled by."  
"Ah, but don't we all love things that are not easily accessible," Coran smiled.  
"Pink pearls were always my mother's favourite, I'd used to bring her some if I'd been exploring shipwrecks. She wouldn't yell at me then, lucky I knew a good place to find them," he smiled softly.  
"Yes, I remember Allura used to do that when she was younger, always bringing back Alfor's favourite flowers whenever she wandered off," Coran said with a chuckle.  
"I'm going to have to find a lot of pearls to make up for this adventure," Lance chuckled dryly.  
"The oysters will live in fear!" Coran said.  
"They won't know what hit them," Lance continued, flicking his tail.  
His fins drooped slightly.  
"She'll be able to make a belt out of the number I'll have to bring her," he said.  
Coran smiled softly, resting his hand on Lance's back.  
"I'm sure she'll be happy when you go back, with our without the pearls."  
"When..." Lance muttered.  
"When you find them," Coran continued.  
Lance glanced back out to sea, looking out over the horizon.  
"The ocean is so big isn't it?"  
"The world is my boy," Coran said, "Huge and very interesting."  
Lance smiled, tilting his head back.  
"Are you coming up for breakfast?" Coran asked.  
Lance shook his head.  
"I don't fancy it."  
"Alright then, I'll see you later," Coran said, standing up.  
"Yeah."

Although Lance loved Hunk's cooking, sometimes it was nice to eat fish raw. It reminded him a lot of home, hunting a fresh fish and eating the whole thing. He circled the island idly, looking around for something substantial for breakfast. He could eat some urchins, but really couldn't be bothered with it.

There were some vibrations in the water, Lance could sense them. He remained frozen, flickering his fins to keep in the same position. It was something big, moving towards Arus. Lance flipped around and shot towards the vibrations. One side of the coral reef was completely destroyed, fish scattered around and bits of coral floating through the water. It was wrecked, massive footprints on either side. Lance stared, picking up a chunk of the coral.  
"What?" he muttered.  
This could not be good.

He reached the bay before the thing did, hauling himself up onto a rock to watch.  
"What is that thing?" Pidge asked from his side.  
Lance turned to the side, everyone was stood there.  
"I don't know, it's nothing that I've ever seen before," Allura said, "Or read about."  
"I've never seen anything like it," Keith muttered.  
"That's because it's not a natural thing," Shiro said softly.  
Lance felt himself shudder, wrapping his arms around himself.  
"We used to fight them in the gladiator rings, when they got board of us fighting each other. They're a combination of bits," Shiro continued.  
Lance flicked his tail, staring out at the thing emerging from the water. A jaw full of teeth, massive muscular arms and legs, three eyes and plated skin. Lance couldn't even tell what the thing was made of.  
"There's some form of magic holding it together," Shiro said, "There's a crystal, removing it makes the thing fall apart."  
"Great," Pidge said, "Where is the crystal?"  
"I don't know, we have to find it," Shiro said.  
"This keeps getting better and better," Lance said dryly.  
"So what do we do?" Hunk asked, shifting nervously.  
"We can't let that thing get to the village," Allura said.  
"Right," Shiro said, frowning, "When I fought these things, I had to keep it busy until I could find the crystal holding it together, normally it's pretty obvious."  
"As long as it stays in the water, me and Hunk can probably keep it busy," Lance said, flaring his fins.  
"Um you and who now?" Hunk said.  
Lance levelled him with a look.  
"If we don't do this, the Arusians will probably die."  
"Me and Lance can probably keep it busy," Hunk said.  
"Alright," Shiro nodded, "I'll keep an eye out for the crystal, I know what they look like. Pidge, Keith, if that thing gets too close to shore, find a way to drive it back."  
They all nodded, shifting into position.

 Lance and Hunk were both fast swimmers, objectively Lance knew this. He also knew that he was pretty agile when he wanted to be, and the thing was slow. However, when it was swinging a massive club at him, things became a little scarier. Lance circled it, watching out for flailing limbs. He could see Hunk at the other side, swimming in a similar pattern. Occasionally one of them would dart forward, sinking teeth or claws into the things legs. It was going well, until Lance dodged the things legs and the club swung out of nowhere and struck him in the side. It wasn't a particularly hard swing, the water had taken out most of the momentum out of the swing. It still sent him flying onto the beach though.  
"Lance!" Shrio yelled, jogging over to him.  
"Ow," Lance said, sitting up.  
"Are you alright?" Shiro asked.  
"Yeah, I'm alright," Lance said, "How's the crystal spotting going?"  
"Not well, it seems to be buried pretty deep," Shiro frowned, "I suppose they didn't want to make it a fair fight."  
"What do we do?" Lance asked.  
"I've got an idea," Shiro said, "Mind if I move you?"  
"Go ahead," Lance said.

Shiro took Lance over to where Pidge and Keith were, stood on the very edge of the shore.  
"Ok, so we need a new plan," Shiro said.  
Keith's ears dropped with a sigh.  
"I may be able to sniff it out," he said, "If there's something only flesh I will be able to smell the crystal."  
Shiro nodded, "Lance can you get Keith out there?"  
Lance looked over at Keith, glaring slightly. Think of the village.  
"Yep, no problem."  
"It seems to keep its right shoulder up high, away from any attacks, check there first," Pidge said.  
"Ok guys, let's do this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is my second time trying to post this...
> 
> Sorry for the late post, I lost my days...sorry
> 
> So new chapter, I have nothing more to say


	10. Balmeran Crystals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro, Hunk, Pidge, Lance and Keith face off against the creature invading Arus

Maybe Keith was feeling a little guilty, especially when Lance didn't turn up for breakfast. It really didn't help that Pidge kept sending him pointed looks over the table. He knew Lance was their only way off the island and that he'd saved both theirs and Shiro's lives. There wasn't time to dwell on it though, not with the thing attacking them.

Being relegated to the beach, only able to watch the action had frustrated Keith to no end. He could almost feel his muscles tense, desperate to use a limb no longer there, to get out there and help them keep the thing away. Not that Hunk and Lance were doing a good job, they had pretty much halted it in its tracks.  
"I can't see the crystal," Shiro muttered, "It has to have one, they always do."  
"So the crystal hold their body together?" Pidge asked, frowning to herself.  
"Essentially yes, I have one," Shiro said, shifting the right sleeve of his shirt.  
Keith had thought there had been something off about Shiro's scent, his draconic heritage meant he could smell treasure if he got close enough. The small purple shard of crystal embedded in Shiro's shoulder must have been it.  
"So we need to find that," Pidge said, pointing to his arm then the monster, "On that."  
"It'll be bigger," Shiro said, "To hold it together."  
"But you can't see it," Keith said, tail swishing agitatedly.  
The creature's attacks were getting closer and closer to hitting their mark, it was learning. The water wasn't deep enough for them to go down to avoid attacks, eventually the inevitable happened. Keith couldn't help the sharp inhale of breath as Lance was hit.  
"Damn it," Shiro hissed, "Keep an eye on it, I'll go see to Lance."

For a moment, Keith thought Lance was going to say no to the plan. There was a cold look in his eyes Keith had no idea he was even capable of. But he had agreed, which meant Keith would have to go into the water.

Keith and Shiro, with Lance in his arms, waded out a short way.  
"Ok, here," Lance said.  
Shiro lowered him down.  
"Keep moving, Lance keep it from attacking Keith while he finds the crystal," Shiro said.  
Lance nodded, flicking his tail. Keith bit his lip, ears shifting nervously.  
"Good luck," Shiro said with a smile, resting his hand on Keith's shoulder.  
"Come on," Lance said, gesturing to his shoulders.  
Keith crouched down, wincing as the water hit his chest. He reached out hesitantly, grabbing Lance's shoulders. His skin was surprisingly cold underneath Keith's hands.  
"Hold on tight and lift your legs," Lance said.  
Keith did what he was told griping hard while being mindful of his claws. Lance flicked his tail and they were off.

Lance was an incredible swimmer, Keith had to admit that. He was so fast, skimming through the water like it was nothing. Keith held his breath against the water spray in his face, they were just skimming the surface. Wow. The sort boat ride they'd had was nothing on this, this was almost like flying. It was over all too soon though, they were right by the creature's legs. It was starting to move forward again, Hunk was not quite able to keep it at bay.  
"Hold your breath," Lance said suddenly.  
"What?" Keith asked.  
"Hold your breath," Lance said.  
Keith did and Lance dove. Keith screwed his eyes closed at the sudden onslaught of water, gripping tighter. They whirled around, or at least Keith thought they did. Keith opened his eyes hesitantly. They were against the sand at the bottom, Lance's fins fluttering idly. Suddenly they were moving again, shooting towards the shimmering surface. With one final powerful flick of his tail, which Keith could feel ripple through his body, Lance launched them out of the water. He latched onto the creature with his claws.  
"Go now!"  
Without a second thought, Keith dug his hind limb claws into the creature's back, launching himself up. He heard an angry roar and a large arm started heading straight towards him. A flash of sliver and blue and the hand was withdrawn, Lance. Keith kept moving, clawing his way up. Right shoulder, he needed to head towards the right shoulder. Keith could feel his nostrils flaring, taking in the creature's scent. It was not pleasant, there was something inherently wrong.

 Keith continued to scramble upwards, watching for if the creature tried to attack him again. It didn't, Lance was probably still gnawing away at its hand. As he got close to the right shoulder, Keith smelled something different. It was not flesh, nor the saltiness from the water. It was something earthy, valuable, exactly what he was looking for. The scent steadily got stronger, Keith followed the scent as best he could. He reached the point where the scent was strongest, pressing his nose as close to the skin as possible. Pressing with his hand, Keith thought he could feel something solid under the skin. Pressing his claw to the top of the solid part, Keith pressed down with as much of his weight as he could.  
"Come on, come on," he hissed as he sank deep into the skin.  
Blood began to ooze from the puncture wound, dribbling down Keith's arm. He shifted his claw down, extending the length of the cut. A furious roar and the creature began to shake, it felt that one. Keith gripped on as best he could, digging his claws in as deep he could. He continued down, extending the gash. The scent of crystal was stronger now, he'd managed to hit the mark.

It was hard, the kin was thick and dense, not easy to cut through. The creature trying to shake and hit him off was really not helping. The skin was becoming slick with the creatures blood, the scent of iron heavy in the air. Keith tried to ignore it, ignore the memories of pain and fear, now was not the time. A sudden burst of the crystal smell, his claw clinked against something hard. With a steadying breath, Keith reached into the gash. He wriggled his claws around, loosening the surrounding flesh. Plunging deeper,  Keith managed to grab the slippery crystal. Pulling back, Keith lost his grip several times. Everything was slick with blood, making it incredibly difficult to do anything. With a slick squelching sound, it came free. The crystal was a purplish colour, slightly bigger than Keith's hand but quite thick. A shudder and Keith's ears flicked backwards. The creature roared again, but the sound  was weaker, more mangled. Another shudder, some splashing, the creature was literally falling apart. Chunks were dropping off its body into the water, blood hissing and smoking as it emerged from the wounds. The skin beneath his feet was heating up, Keith had to move, now. Without even thinking, Keith sprang off the creature's back, dropping down towards the water.

Keith was floating in the water, gripping the crystal tightly but not making any effort to surface. Every limb was aching, the crystal felt almost painfully hot in his hand. He struck out as best he could, trying to reach the surface. Keith was struggling, didn't seem to be getting anywhere. A pair of arms wrapped around his middle, and Keith was dragged to the surface, coughing and spluttering. He was pulled to the beach, feeling the powerful flex of Lance's tail. Shiro met them in the shallows, pulling Keith up the rest of the way up to shore.  
"Are you ok?" he asked as Keith slumped on all fours on the sand.  
"I'm ok," Keith said, clambering to his feet.  
"We did it!" Pidge yelled suddenly.  
"Hell yeah we did!" Lance whooped.  
"Man I thought we were done for," Hunk said.  
Lance laughed, "Wow, loving your confidence."  
"Is everyone alright," Shiro asked.  
"I think my ribs may be bruised," Lance said, "But I'm good."  
"Well, it didn't get anywhere near me, so," Pidge shrugged.  
"I'm glad it's over," Hunk said.  
"I'm guessing that's a yes," Shiro chuckled, "Come on, let's go back to the castle."

 Allura stared at the chunk of crystal Keith had retrieved from the creature, a frown on her face.  
"This is a Balmerian crystal," she said.  
"A what?" Lance asked, flicking his tail.  
"A Balmerian crystal, it's a source of quintessance, or the magic that runs through all living creatures. This is not a healthy one though, they should be a blue colour," Allura said.  
"The balmera that produced this one must be sick," Coran said.  
"Wait, what?" Hunk asked.  
"A balmera is an ancient creature, they live deep underground and are petrified but still alive. They produce these crystals, removing them forcefully though, makes the creature sick," Coran said, twirling his moustache.  
"Man, that's not good," Hunk muttered, scratching his neck.  
"No, it is not," Coran said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's there to say, they fight a thing...more information about the world is given. So, yeah, enjoy.


	11. Magical Weapons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura and Keith talk, Keith and Lance talk and they are presented with some interesting gifts.

Keith jerked awake, tail instinctively curling around himself. He could smell the blood from his nightmare, feel the chains that had bound him down still. His ears flattened against his head, fingers knotted in his own hair. His back was burning, small jolts of pain causing tears to spring to his eyes. Evening out his breathing, Keith tried his hardest to calm his heart rate. Tucking his legs to his chest, Keith growled softly under his breath. Why, why did this keep happening. Throwing the covers off, Keith slipped out of bed, he wasn't going to get any more sleep.

The castle was huge, most of it seemingly abandoned. Well, seen as though there were only two people living there, it made sense. The corridor he was currently in seemed really well taken care of though, well it was clean at least. With moonlight streaming through the windows, Keith could just about make out paintings on the walls. They were of people, mostly elves with a few others thrown in. Keith's tail twitched.  
"My ancestors," Allura's voice sounded from beside him.  
Keith jumped, ears flicking as he turned to her. She was smiling serenely, looking up at the painting. She turned to him, gesturing to the painting he was in front of.  
"My father, King Alfor, he was a great man."  
"Oh," Keith said, looking up at the subject of the painting.  
Now she'd said it, Keith could see the resemblance, there was something about the eyes. Alfor was dressed in armour , a golden crown on his head. Yep, the portrait screamed king.  
"He died, when the dragons attacked Altea," Allura continued.  
Keith felt his ears droop, because he really needed to know all the reasons why she hated him.  
"He didn't realise the danger before it was too late, by then he believed the only option was to run. He was a great man and a great king, but he did make mistakes. It is not black and while, the world, the people in it, father taught me that. So I must apologise," Allura said, crossing her arms.  
Keith frowned, tail flicking. This conversation couldn't be going where he thought it was going, could it.  
"I judged you based on your parent, that was wrong of me to do. So I am sorry Keith, I misjudged you," she said, smiling.  
Apparently it was.  
"Oh. I. Thank you, but it's ok, I'm used to it," Keith said, awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot.  
Allura shook her head, "No, it was wrong of me. Now then, Lance is on the shore singing, I think I may go listen to him for a little while."  
Keith blinked, mind whirling. Allura had apologised, someone had apologised for misjudging him. That, was a first. Wait, she was going to listen to Lance sing. Lance was on the shore.  
"Wait, Lance is on the shore?" Keith said suddenly.  
Allura turned to him, "Yes?"  
"I'm going to go talk to him," Keith said.  
Ok, so they may have had a yelling match and Lance may still be annoying at times, but Keith did want to make up. Partly because he actually didn't want Lance mad at him and kind of wanted to talk to him, partly because Lance was their only way off the island.  
"Right then, I'll give you privacy," Allura shrugged, "He'll be at the south end of the beach."  
"How do you know?" Keith asked.  
"I have my ways," Allura smiled brightly.

Keith could hear Lance before he could see him, the soft echoes of an inhuman noise. Keith froze, ears twitching forward to listen. Pidge had told him that there were legends, legends of merfolk enthralling mythologicals and humans only with the sound of their voice. Listening to the almost ethereal sound, Keith could believe them. It was haunting. Keith started forward again, following his ears to the source of the noise.

There was Lance, tail and scales shining in the moonlight. Keith let out a long breath, before approaching him cautiously. Lance's eyes were closed, chin tilted up so he was singing to the nights sky. Keith stopped just behind him, hesitant to interrupt. There was a note of sadness in the song, one that Keith had not picked up before.  
"Lance?" he said softly, trying not to startle the mer.  
I didn't work. Lance jumped, whipping around so quickly he almost fell off the rock. Keith reached out, grabbing Lance's arm to keep him balanced.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you," Keith said, releasing Lance's arm.  
Lance's fins by his ears twitch, eyes scanning Keith up and down. He relaxed, pulling his arm out of Keith's grasp. He didn't leave though, which Keith counted as a victory.  
"So what's up?" Lance asked.  
Keith let out a long breath, tail twitching nervously.  
"I want to thank you and apologise," he muttered, picking at his claws.  
Lance raised an eyebrow, why was this so hard?  
"I'm sorry and thank you, for saving my life and Pidge's and Shiro's. I probably can't say it enough," Keith closed his eyes, curling and flexing his tail.  
"Don't worry about it," Lance said.  
Keith looked over at Lance's face, he was smiling softly.  
"Seriously, it's fine," Lance shrugged, "Can't really begrudge the guy who helped take down that thing."  
"I, oh ok," Keith said.  
Well, that was actually much easier than expected. Keith hovered awkwardly, what now? Lance's smile twitched higher, reading Keith's distress easily.  
"Come on, sit with me for a bit," Lance said, patting the rock beside him.

This was awkward, Keith wasn't all that sure why he had sat beside Lance. Neither of them were talking, although Lance didn't seem all that bothered. His eyes were closed, head tipped back humming lightly. Keith wrapped his tail around himself, looking back out over the water.  
"There's a small port town not too far from here," Lance said suddenly, "You're unlikely to find any information there, but you can get almost anywhere from there."  
It took a minute for Keith to realise what Lance was talking about.  
"Right, how long will it take us to get there?" Keith asked.  
"A day, maybe two," Lance frowned, "Depends on if we run into any trouble along the way."  
Keith's ears flicked back, "Is that likely?"  
"It's not unlikely," Lance frowned, "We would have to pass through Galra waters, but they're mostly abandoned."  
"Mostly?" Keith frowned.  
Lance shot him an unamused look.  
"It's either that or stay here," he said, "And I know you don't want to do that."  
Keith raised his eyebrows, was that a slight hint of bitterness in Lance's voice. Keith wasn't too sure, but wouldn't be surprised, he had been a bit of an ass about this place.  
"We need to find Pidge's brother," Keith said, falling out again would not help him get off the island.  
Lance nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah, I get that."  
There was that sadness again, the one Keith had detected in his song. It was gone just as quickly as it had come.  
"I mean I get to get rid of you so I guess it's not all bad," Lance shrugged, his tone was playful though.   
Keith scoffed, rolling his eyes.  
"I can't do tomorrow, but I can do the day after?" Lance said, leaning back on his arms.  
"Yeah, that should be good," Keith said, a small smile making its way onto his face.  
"Oh my god," Lance said suddenly.  
Keith felt panic wash over him instantly, looking out over the ocean. What had Lance seen?  
"What?"  
"You smiled," Lance said, poking Keith in the cheek, "I don't think I've ever seen you smile! I didn't think you could!"  
"I smile plenty," Keith crossed his arms.  
Lance scoffed, "That's a lie, your face is only capable of frowning."  
Keith rolled his eyes, huffing out of his nose.

They spent almost the entirety of the night talking, about nothing important really. Keith began to yawn and rub his eyes, prompting Lance to convince him to go to bed. He wasn't asleep for very long until Pidge banged on his door and announced breakfast. Lance and Coran were not present, having apparently left early to do some fishing in the bay.

The castle door were open, Arusians pouring in and out with bright smiles and excited chatter. Apparently they had seen the fight with the monster and were very excited about it, even going so far as to recreate the moment. Keith had to admit, they weren't doing too bad a job of it. He'd ended up hanging out with Hunk, Pidge was goodness knows where and Shiro and Allura were chatting over by the wall.  
"Man, they're not doing too badly are they?" Hunk chuckled, gesturing to the acting Arusians.  
"No," Keith shook his head, "I'm impressed, the little guys sure know how to put on a show."  
"They're not too bad at cooking either," Hunk said, grabbing some food off the passing tray.  
"No," Keith said, grabbing a drink and taking a sip.  
He instantly regretted his decision. Whatever was in the cup was vile, it tasted of sweaty feet. Keith couldn't help the full body shudder and gag.  
"Dude, are you ok?" Hunk asked, concern evident in his voice.  
"Oh god, that's horrible," Keith coughed.  
"Yeah, Lance made that mistake last time, I'm pretty sure he passed out,"  Hunk chuckled, "Yeah, I probably should have warned you."  
Keith coughed, glaring at Hunk. He laughed, patting Keith on the back.  
"Don't worry, you'll live," Hunk said, taking the cup out of Keith's hand and putting it on a passing tray.  
Keith managed to get his breathing back under control, shaking his head.  
"Here, try this," Hunk said, grabbing something off a tray and shoving it at Keith, "Should take the taste away."  
Keith looked suspiciously at it.  
"Promise it tastes better than the drink," Hunk smiled.  
Taking it out of Hunk's hand, Keith cautiously took a bite. It was much nicer than the drink and the strong flavour almost erased the taste of feet, almost.   
"Well you were mostly right," Keith grumbled, "I still taste feet."  
"Yeah well," Hunk shrugged.

Keith and Hunk had shifted around to the balcony alongside Allura and Shiro, they were watching the proceedings below.  
"Princess Allura," one of the arusians said, bowing low.  
"Your highness," Allura replied, bowing her head.  
"As a thank you for saving our village, our island, we wish to present you with some gifts," he replied, bowing again.  
"Oh, that is unnecessary," Allura said, smiling.  
"No, we insist," the king said, "These would just be gathering dust in our village, where are the other warriors?"  
"Lance is out and Pidge is," Allura looked around, frowning, "I don't know where Pidge is."  
"Well, here," the king said, gesturing.  
Four arusians were behind him, holding weapons in their arms. A crossbow, a sword, a dagger and what looked like two bracelets.  
"Our gifts to you, magical weapons with incredible properties."  
The arusian holding the crossbow presented it to Hunk, who hesitantly took it. It began to glow, a bolt made from rock appearing ready to be fired.  
"Not bad," he said, shifting it around in his hands to test the weight.  
The sword was presented in front of Keith, a soft shine of red glinting off the blade. Taking it out of their hand, Keith blanched slightly as flames licked up the blade.  
"Huh," he said, rotating his wrist.  
The balance and weight was good, giving it a couple of swings, Keith smiled.  
"We thank you for these gifts," Allura bowed.  
"You saved our village, it's the least we could do," the king said.  
"Well we..." a bang interrupted Allura.  
A crash and the ground shook. Everyone began screaming, the ground shook again. Keith almost lost his balance, claws digging into the ground.  
"What was that?" he asked, ears flicking back.  
"Someone is attacking the island," Allura said, "Come on."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Casually shifts Allura apologizing to Keith to way sooner, seen as though it's no real surprise that Keith is half dragon so...
> 
> Action and constantly switching perspectives next chapter, woo!


	12. Invasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The village is attacked, the castle is invaded and a member is gravely wounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the weeks delay, I was away for my birthday.

The sound of explosions and everything was shaking.  
"It's coming from that direction," Keith said, pointing.  
"That's the direction of the village," Allura said.  
The four of them looked at each other.  
"Lance and Coran are still out in the bay," Allura said.  
"I'll go look for them," Hunk said.  
"I'll watch the castle," Shiro said.  
"Ok," Allura said, "We'll go to the village, I'll use a mental connection to keep in touch."  
They all nodded, before heading their separate ways.

****

Hunk sprinted down to the beach, feeling his panic rise. Lance was smart, hopefully he would have managed to avoid trouble. On the other hand, Lance is, was and probably always will be, a trouble magnet. Stumbling down the sand banks, Hunk spotted a figure in the shallow water. As he drew closer though, Hunk realised it wasn't Lance, but Coran. The shattered remains of his boat were bobbing at the surface.  
"Coran!" Hunk shouted, running down to him.  
Coran groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head.  
"Coran where's Lance?" Hunk asked, dropping down to kneel beside him.  
"He's still out there," Coran said, looking over the water.  
There, out in the water was a ship. It didn't look that big, but he could just about make out the flashes of the cannons.  
"We need to take out that ship,"  Coran said.  
"Right," Hunk replied.  
He was worried, although Lance was perfectly capable of looking after himself, there was still a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. What if his best friend had gotten hurt, or even worse had been captured. Hunk had seen what the dragons did to mer, something he'd never told Lance about. However, the ship really did need destroying, especially as it kept firing into and around the village. Tossing his skin over his shoulders and wading into the water, Hunk spoke before the transformation was complete.  
"Let's go."

****

Keith and Allura sprinted down the path to the village, although it wasn't the most direct route it was the fastest. Allura had a deep frown on her face. They both skidded slightly on the dirt, Keith instinctively gripping harder with his talons. The sounds of explosions a head, smoke was rising from the village.  
"I cannot believe they found us," Allura said, a deep frown forming on her face.  
Keith balanced, hopefully she wouldn't put this on him. Her working with him seemed like a good thing.  
"Most of the Arusians were at the castle?" Keith asked.  
Allura pulled a face, "I believe so, I hope so."  
Keith pushed himself to go faster, ears flaring forward.

The ground shook, Keith watched as something in the village exploded. The two of them were so close. Keith couldn't help the almost squawk that left his mouth as he almost fell over, using his tail to keep balance.  
"Oh god," Allura muttered.  
Keith found himself agreeing. The entire place was up in flames, the parts that weren't were completely flattened to the ground. Another boom, a cannon ball hit the ground in front of them, barrelling into a house and flattening it completely. Keith could just about make out the ship firing on them, other than that the place seemed deserted.   
"Where is everyone?" Allura asked.  
"What's happening?" Keith muttered.  
Another boom, another cannon ball. This one crashed into the centre. Both of them stood frozen for a second. Keith approached after a second, trying to avoid the flames as best he could but trusting in his scales to keep him mostly safe. There was nothing, the entire place was diserted.  
"Empty," he said, jogging back up to Allura.  
"Attacking makes no sense, especially from this distance with that small a place," Allura said, "Unless."  
"It was a diversion," Keith finished, tail flicking.

****

Shiro watched as the others ran away from the castle, flexing his arm as he was put on edge. Hopefully nothing would happen. His right shoulder was aching, it did that occasionally, a deep pain from the unnatural join between dragon and human flesh. Rubbing it, Shiro rested his head on the wall. Something about the whole situation was not sitting right with him. Shifting from his position against the wall, Shiro began to pace the hall. Restless energy kept him moving, an itch under his skin from nerves. Something was not right.

Shiro froze as he spotted the figures in the doorway, dodging into the shadows of the alcoves. They weren't anyone he knew, and a jolt hit him as he realised. Dragons, they may have shape shifted into humans but they were dragons. Shiro was not a hundred percent sure how he knew, he just did. They were dragging something behind them, but Shiro was focusing on they two of their faces. They didn't know he was there, so he shifted forward slightly. Taking them by surprise was his best option.

Launching forward, Shiro drew back his arm, flexing his talons. Swinging his arm down, he caught one of them along the arm. Blood welled from the gashes, the pair of them hissed and moved away. The one he'd attacked advanced forward, claws and scales forming over his arm.  
"Hold on," the other spoke, "Surrender now."  
Shiro's eyes darted to one side, looking over at him. He froze, straightening up from his battle-ready stance. It was Lance, trussed up tightly in a net that was clearly digging into his skin. Blood was dripping from a harpoon sticking out of his tail, several smaller wounds peppered his body. The dragon's knife was pressed to his throat.  
"Surrender, or we kill him."  
 With a puff of breath out of his nose, Shiro raised his arms into the air. Pain across the back of his skull and everything went dark.

****

Pidge froze from her place in the rafters, watching the scene below her. Lance and Shiro, both being dragged unceremoniously along the corridor. A trail of blood was left behind them, from this height she couldn't tell who it was from. She didn't know who the two figures dragging them were, she didn't care to find out. Instead, she followed them. Staying high in the roof, she watched as they walked through the entrance hall.

Following them from room to room was a little trickier without being spotted, but she managed it. They stopped in one of the rooms and Pidge felt something in the air shift. What on earth was going on?  
"Pidge!" Pidge almost fell off the area she was perched.  
"Allura?" she muttered softly.  
Allura wasn't around, but it was like her voice seemed to be right in her ear.  
"Pidge, thank goodness, are you alright?" Allura asked.  
"Yeah I'm fine, Lance and Shiro are not," Pidge replied, "They've been captured."  
"Me and Keith are trapped outside, the magical defences have been activated. There is a way around but it will take time, I need you to help though. There's something in the castle they want to get their hands on, it cannot happen. Keep out of sight, and draw them all over the castle, do not let them stay in one place too long. There is something in the entrance hall that may help you, will you be alright?"  
Pidge felt a smile starting to tug at the corners of her mouth, she had done a lot of exploring in the time she had been here, a plan was already starting to formulate in her mind.  
"I'll be fine princess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! I'm a but run down with a cold so not running at 100%. I just hope it didn't show too much in this chapter.


	13. Reclaim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith, Allura and Pidge try to take back the castle, Coran and Hunk try to sink the ship.

Allura and Keith stood at the bottom of the path, looking up at the castle in the distance. The ground was charred in front of them, sign that the castle defences had been activated and they'd made a lucky escape.   
"The other way in is around the cliffs," Allura said, "It's a treacherous climb with the sea right below."  
Keith let out a long breath.  
"No defences?"  
"No, it's only accessible by boat or swimming, normally," Allura said.  
"Normally?" Keith asked, ears and tail twitching nervously.  
"With your claws, you should be able to climb across," she said.  
"What about you?"  
"I've been making that climb for years, I'll be fine."

****

Pidge scrabbled around the hallways, remaining high and out of sight. She'd grabbed a weapon from the main hall, a strange mixture of a knife and a grappling hook, there was an energy pulsing through it Pidge could not pinpoint. She was steadily spending her time making lots of noise and destroying what she hoped were unimportant things. Basically she was trying to draw their attention to as many different places in the castle as possible. She seemed to be managing with one of them, the other seemed determined to not leave the door.

With a grunt, Pidge shoved what was probably a very expensive, old and irreplaceable, statue over. It fell to the ground with a loud crash, hopefully not breaking too much, well desperate times. She dodged around the corner as footsteps hurried her way, hopping onto the windowsill to climb back up into the roof. She wasn't fast enough, a hand grabbing her from behind and pulling her off the sill.  
"Well, what do we have here?" a deep voice said.  
Pidge twisted and kicked out, writhing until she was dropped. Whipping around, she came face-to-face with her attacker. Reptilian eyes blinked back at her, a sure sign of a disguised dragon. He lunged at Pidge, claws just skimming her clothes as she dodged out of the way.   
"Slippery thing aren't you?" he said, swiping for her again.

****

Keith didn't mind heights, he was part dragon, had been flying almost all his life, so heights were not that big a deal. Unless the heights involved sharp rocks and ferocious waters with no hope of flight, it was terrifying. His claws were so deep in the rock, Keith was worried he may never move again. His fingers were numb with the cold, cloths and hair soaked from the waves.  Allura seemed to be having no such problem, scrambling along the cliff face with no issues at all.  
"Are we almost there?" he shouted.  
"Almost, just keep going," she called back.  
Keith shivered, tail twitching as he shuffled along, keeping his balance as the wind buffeted him. The cannons were still going off, but were aiming inland. The sound of shattering glass, yelling. Keith looked up just in time to press further into the cliff as something came tumbling out of the window.

****

Hunk flicked his fins, ploughing through the water like it was nothing. Coran was gripping onto the tops of his fins, the two of them sped towards the ship. They surfaced just beside it, looking up at the deck.  
"Right, up we go!" Coran said, latching onto the ladder.  
Hunk looked at him, before waving a flipper.  
"Oh, right, well see what you can do," Coran said brightly, "I'll take care of them up on deck."  
Hunk blinked at him, that sounded a little suicidal, but he couldn't really argue his point as a seal. So he watched Coran climb the ladder, before diving down and circling towards the back of the ship. Whenever him and Lance had done this, he always went for the rudder first. Unfortunately, the ship wasn't moving. He needed to find a way to pry some of the planks off, Hunk wished Lance was here, he always knew the fastest way to skink a ship. Well, Hunk just had to work with what he had.

****

Pidge ducked an weaved, moving around until she was no longer against the window. She took off at a sprint down the corridor, hearing a hiss and a rumble behind her. She was lucky, the corridor was too small for a dragon so he was forced to stay in human form. Pidge ducked and weaved through the corridors, aiming for a particular corridor with a particular window.

Ducking around yet another corner, Pidge breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted what she was after. Sprinting forward, she was so close to the window, until her ankle was grabbed. Her luck had run out.  
"Get off!" she yelled, kicking out.   
"I don't think so," he said, pulling her back.  
Pidge struggled, twisting her body around. The dragon grpped her leg harder, digging claws into her flesh. Yelling in anger, she twisted in the dragon's grasp. Clutching her dagger, she swung at him. Feeling the energy in the dagger, Pidge allowed herself to channel it. She recognised magic but was unsure of the type and source. The dragon yowled as a shock went through him. Pidge was dropped to the ground, she rolled to her feet as quickly as she could.  
"Enough!" the dragon yelled.  
A vivid purple tail whipped around, blocking her exit and smashing the window. Pidge sprang over it.  
"Nice try!" she yelled.  
Diving for the window, Pidge sprang onto the sill. The back of her shirt was grabbed, but she still had enough momentum to carry her through. The dragon, having thrown most of its weight forward, was carried out with her. Spinning, Pidge pulled out the bottom corssguard, revealing rope wound up inside the hilt. The blade pushed forward and opened, unveiling a hook. Flinging it with all her strength, Pidge breathed a sigh of relief as it hooked onto something. The rope snapped taut, the sound of tearing fabric as the dragon tore her over shirt as he fell. Pidge gasped for breath, swinging back in through the window. One down, one to go.

****

"Almost there," Allura called.  
Keith looked past her, he could just about make out a large crack in the rock.  
"Right," Keith said, wincing as another wave splashed up at him.  
They continued along, until Allura's foot hit a ledge and she started to shuffle along. She vanished into the crack in the cliff, Keith following.  
"Up here," she said, taking off along the rocky corridor.  
Keith followed as quickly as he could, still stiff from the cold and the wet. It began to curve, shadows swallowing any remaining light. Even with his incredible night vision, Keith couldn't see a thing.  
"There used to be lights along here," Allura said sadly, "It's difficult to maintain when there are only two of you."  
Keith didn't really know what to say to that, so he just remained silent, letting the sound of Allura's movement guide him along.  
"It's a bit like a maze, all the old war ships were kept here, there's only one left though," she continued.  
"What happened to the others?" Keith asked, but he had a feeling he knew the answer.  
"We lost them to the galra," Allura said.  
Keith frowned, "I'm sorry."  
Allura let out a huffing laugh, "It's not your fault."  
Keith crossed his arms over his chest, frowning deeply. There was a sound, scuffling and shouting.  
"Allura, Allura hang on," he called out.  
"What's wrong?"  
"I can hear something, down that way," Keith said, pointing.  
"Right, lead the way," Allura said.

****

Hunk grabbed the rudder with his teeth, pulling and twisting until it crunched and snapped. That was the easy part, he began to chew on the wood around the corner. It actually crunched surprisingly easily under his teeth. This boat was old and not very well kept, he could practically taste the rotting wood.

Hunk crunched and wriggled his head, slowly making his way through the ship. Releasing it, he bobbed back to the surface to take a breath. Plunging back under the water, he began to attack the boat again. It was taking a long time, Hunk stopped, looking at the area he'd been attacking. Despite the boat being older, it would take much too long to actually do much damage. Hunk looked around, until an idea came to him. Pressing his nose to the back of the boat, Hunk began to push. He forced it forward, angling and shifting it until it was running directly towards the sharpest and highest rocks in the water. With a crunch and shudder, he ran it straight into the rocks. Even a ship in top condition would have trouble surviving that.

****

Pidge headed back to where she had seen the other galra last. On her way, she collected the strange cuffs that had been alongside her dagger. She had no idea what they were, but they were pulsing with water and ice magic, basically they were perfect for Lance. She was heading deeper into the castle, a place where she'd never been. Deeper down more and more corridors, following the trail of blood. It did not look good, Pidge felt sick to her stomach, she needed to be faster.

A big round room, several different doors, blood training into only one. As quickly and as silently as she could, Pidge made her way down the marble steps. Glancing from around the corner, there was the other dragon and Lance and Shiro.  
"Where is it?" the dragon was roaring, his human form was melting away.  
"What?" Shiro spat out, glaring up.  
Scales replacing flesh, body twisting and growing in size.  
"It should be in here?" he roared, "Where is it?"  
He turned his back to Shiro and Lance, stepping over to the large hole in the floor. She could hear rushing water as she scuttled forward, it covered up her footsteps.  
"Shiro," she hissed softly.  
He looked up, "Pidge."  
Very carefully, she slipped the cuffs onto Lance's wrists, wincing at the pool of blood around him. So, that's where it all came from. Slipping around behind Shiro, she began to cut at the rope around his wrist.  
"Oh no you don't!" a growing voice said.  
A clawed hand grabbed her, wrenching back so she was held in front of his face.  
"What do we have here?" he said.

Pidge had never been face to face with a full grown dragon before, the closest she had come was Keith, he didn't count. It was terrifying, huge eyes, way too many and sharp and big teeth. Oh no.  
"Hey!" a familiar voice shouted.  
Pidge wanted to groan, yes Keith, shouting at the massive dragon that had her in its grasp was a good idea. Idiot. The dragon growled out a laugh.  
"I wouldn't move, or I'll crush her," he said, tightening his grip.  
"Let her go!" Allura shouted.  
If she actually expected that to work, Pidge had severely overestimated her intelligence.   
"Now I don't think I will," he replied.  
Ok, it was getting hard to breathe. She would really like him to let her go know, she couldn't reach her dagger from the way her arms were positioned. Keith looked positively murderous, but remained rooted to the spot. Which was why it was a bit of a surprise when the dragon roared in pain and dropped her.  
"What?" she muttered, looking up.  
A shard of ice was stuck out of the dragon's armpit, right in the soft flesh devoid of scales, no wonder he had dropped her. Keith growled and charged forward, at the same time as Shiro and Allura. Keith pulled out his sword, flames licking up the blade as he charged forward. The three of them charging at the startled and in pain dragon caught it completely off guard. He roared, swinging his claws and tail. Keith ducked under the flailing limbs, digging his sword into is armpit too. The dragon reared back in pain, backing up. Keith, Shiro and Allura slammed into him, tipping over the precarious balance. The dragon tumbled back, falling into the pool behind him. The current immediately washed him away, dragging him under the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this chapter massively late? Yes...Is the next chapter going to be written by next week? I have no idea...Sorry for the uncertain future and probably patchy updating from now on.
> 
> So yeah, I hope you enjoyed it.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm trying my hand at writing angst...I am so, so sorry. I was only going to break his wings, but my flatmate may have encouraged me to cut them off.


End file.
